Historical Events
1907 – First Christmas Seals sold (Wilmington, Delaware, post office)
1931 – Spain becomes a republic
1988 – The Michael Hughes Bridge in Sligo, Ireland is officially opened.
1995 – 61st Heisman Trophy Award: Eddie George, Ohio State (RB)
2005 – “Brokeback Mountain” film released, directed by Ang Lee, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, based on story by Annie Proulx
2019 – World Anti-Doping Agency bans Russia from all major sporting events including 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 football World Cup in Qatar for manipulating laboratory data
Famous Birthdays
1930 – Buck Henry [Zuckerman], American screenwriter and comedian (SNL, Get Smart), born in NYC, New York
1935 – David Houston, American country music singer (Almost Persuaded), born in Bossier City, Louisiana (d. 1993)
1941 – Beau Bridges, American actor (Hotel New Hampshire, 5th Musketeer), born in Los Angeles, California
1946 – Shatrughan Sinha, Indian actor (Dostana) and politician (Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha 2009-19), born in Patna, Bihar, British India
1972 – Fabrice Santoro, Tahitian tennis star, born in Tahiti, French Polynesia
1976 – Chris Booker, American baseball player, born in West Virginia
Famous Deaths
1625 – Ubbo Emmius [van Embden], Dutch-Frisian humanist and historian, dies at 78
1641 – Anthony van Dyck, Flemish painter, dies at 42
1887 – Mahmadu Lamine, Senegalese marabout and military leader
1974 – George Carew, cricketer (4 Tests for WI between 1935 and 1949), dies
2003 – Paul Simon, American politician (U. S. House of Representatives, 1975-85; U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1985-97), dies at 75
2006 – Freddie Marsden, English rock drummer (Gerry and the Pacemakers), dies at 66